Rattlehead
Forum Supporter
When I first got my CTX almost a year ago, I thought the Target Trace feature sounded neat in theory but figured it was probably a bit gimmicky. I was wrong. Turns out this is (IMHO) one of the most useful features that the CTX has over other detectors.
A lot of the sites that I hunt are blanketed with iron such as small nails and other junk. While there's a lot of good targets still in the ground, most detectors can't see them due to being masked. This is where Target Trace can be really beneficial.
Just a couple of days ago I was detecting a neighbors yard that I've been hitting regularly since 2009. Years ago, a structure had been torn down there so its littered with nails and other bits of iron. Anyway, I got a blip of a high tone with no TID on the display. I couldn't get it to repeat again no matter how many directions I tried sweeping. No audio what-so-ever other than the first little blip... but I could clearly see a trace leading from the bottom right where iron reads, up to the area where coins generally fall. When I pulled the trigger to pinpoint, I noticed two darkened spots. One in bottom right, and another in the coin range. This is a dead giveaway that there's a good target being masked by iron. So to satisfy my curiosity, I brought out the Deus to check if it could see the target. Nope. Nothing but iron grunts. So I dug out the plug and found 3 nails and a wheat in it. Pretty amazing if you ask me!
Thats not the first time Target Trace has helped me spot coins mixed with iron either. On one of my other sites it's helped me find several silvers that I would have missed without it. As far as I'm concerned, Minelab really hit a home run with this feature.
I know you guys who have been using the CTX for a while already know about Target Trace, but I'm posting this in hopes that its helpful to new CTX owners.
Try this: Go to one of the most trashy sites you know of that has produced keepers in the past. Make sure Target Trace and Target Trace Pinpoint are ON. I'd suggest running in high trash mode since nothing is pushed toward the 12 line.
Sweep slowly and on any hint of a high tone check the screen. Look for any smears like the one in the first picture below. If you see one, hold the trigger and pinpoint. Notice a couple of distinct dark spots filling in like shown in the second picture below? Dig it! You might be in for a pleasant surprise!
A lot of the sites that I hunt are blanketed with iron such as small nails and other junk. While there's a lot of good targets still in the ground, most detectors can't see them due to being masked. This is where Target Trace can be really beneficial.
Just a couple of days ago I was detecting a neighbors yard that I've been hitting regularly since 2009. Years ago, a structure had been torn down there so its littered with nails and other bits of iron. Anyway, I got a blip of a high tone with no TID on the display. I couldn't get it to repeat again no matter how many directions I tried sweeping. No audio what-so-ever other than the first little blip... but I could clearly see a trace leading from the bottom right where iron reads, up to the area where coins generally fall. When I pulled the trigger to pinpoint, I noticed two darkened spots. One in bottom right, and another in the coin range. This is a dead giveaway that there's a good target being masked by iron. So to satisfy my curiosity, I brought out the Deus to check if it could see the target. Nope. Nothing but iron grunts. So I dug out the plug and found 3 nails and a wheat in it. Pretty amazing if you ask me!
Thats not the first time Target Trace has helped me spot coins mixed with iron either. On one of my other sites it's helped me find several silvers that I would have missed without it. As far as I'm concerned, Minelab really hit a home run with this feature.
I know you guys who have been using the CTX for a while already know about Target Trace, but I'm posting this in hopes that its helpful to new CTX owners.
Try this: Go to one of the most trashy sites you know of that has produced keepers in the past. Make sure Target Trace and Target Trace Pinpoint are ON. I'd suggest running in high trash mode since nothing is pushed toward the 12 line.
Sweep slowly and on any hint of a high tone check the screen. Look for any smears like the one in the first picture below. If you see one, hold the trigger and pinpoint. Notice a couple of distinct dark spots filling in like shown in the second picture below? Dig it! You might be in for a pleasant surprise!